Let's Talk Marathon County: Voting System Dialogue 2024

Welcome to Let's Talk, Marathon County The Purpose of a Let's Talk Dialogue To weigh different approaches for addressing a problem and exchange views with others on what should be done 2024

Todays Dialogue 1 . Introduction We ll agree to some guidelines. We ll focus on voting and the US election system the kind of system we want to have. We ll share our experiences and listen to others. We ll look to the future and consider a range of practical changes. 2 Share our concerns We ll weigh three different approaches to fixing our voting system, along with some specific action items for each. These aren t the only ideas, but they are a starting point. 3 Consider each approach We ll look at: Advantages, risks, costs, & trade-offs Possible unintended consequences Priorities we can t do everything Areas of common ground & remaining concerns 4 Review and reflect

Ground Rules Consider all the approaches fairly. Listening is just as important as speaking. No one or two individuals should dominate. Maintain an open, respectful atmosphere. Everyone is encouraged to participate. Refrain from interrupting. Anything else?

What is the PROBLEM? Possible Concerns about the Current System 1. Sometimes it s difficult and inconvenient for me to vote 2. There are too many efforts to suppress the vote in minority communities 3. Too many Americans don t bother to vote and take democracy for granted 4. There seems to be too much voter fraud 5. Too often we end up with candidates who are too extreme 6. Something else?

APPROACH 3: Change the System APPROACH 1: Make It Easier to Vote APPROACH 2: Protect Against Cheating Let s create a system that gives us better elections and candidates by opening primaries to Independents, ending the Electoral College, and allowing ranked-choice voting. Let s make sure all Americans get a chance to vote by keeping polls open longer and mailing paper ballots to all registered voters. Let s prevent cheating by requiring photo IDs, limiting mail-in paper ballots, and cleaning up voting rolls to remove those who may have died or moved away. But could these changes make it more difficult to vote? But could redesigning the election system have unintended consequences? But could these changes make it easier for people to cheat? And . . .it s unlikely everyone will agree. Few of us are likely to get all the changes we want. So, let's look at these approaches in greater detail.

APPROACH 1 Make it easier Make it easier to vote to vote Voting is one of the most important ways we improve our country, and it should be simple and convenient. But if you work long hours or live far from a polling place or face long lines or miss the registration date, you don t have a fair chance. Given our country s low turnouts and history of voter suppression, our priority should be to make voting accessible to all. ACTION ITEMS POSSIBLE DRAWBACKS Offer in-person early voting for extended hours and for two weeks before Election Day. This is a huge cost for local governments, and people often wait until the last minute anyway. POSSIBLE DRAWBACKS Make Election Day a national holiday, as some other countries do. This will hurt small businesses and won t help essential workers such as nurses and firefighters. Send mail-in ballots to all registered voters. Some states already do this regularly. This means blanketing the state with paper ballots and makes it easier for people to steal or misuse them. Other action items? But how easy should it be? Is it truly unfair to ask people to make the time to go to vote?

Polling Question No. 2: Make It Easier to Vote Polling Question No. 2: Make It Easier to Vote Questions will appear on the participants computer or cellphone screens formatted for responding 2. Which action item do you favor most? 1. Offer in-person early voting for extended hours and for two weeks before Election Day 2. Make Election Day a national holiday 3. Send mail-in ballots to all registered voters 4. NONE OF THESE

APPROACH 2 Protect against cheating Protect against cheating Voting should represent the will of the people, and we should make changes to guarantee the accuracy and security of our elections. We have too many out-of-date registration lists and poorly monitored voting practices. The system is just too lax. Our priority should be to ensure that all votes are cast legitimately and counted correctly. Making it harder to cheat will give everyone confidence. ACTION ITEMS POSSIBLE DRAWBACKS Require photo ID for voting, like we do to get on a plane. It s more reliable than matching signatures. This makes voting difficult for people who don t drive or have another photo ID. POSSIBLE DRAWBACKS Mail-in voting is much easier for those who work long hours or care for others. Limiting this option could reduce voter participation. Only allow mail-in ballots for people who present a valid excuse, such as travel or illness. Remove people from voter rolls if they haven t voted in the past five years. This helps eliminate the names of people who have died or moved. Americans have the right to sit out elections. This causes problems for people when they do want to vote. Other action items? But we have a history of voter suppression and still see instances of people waiting hours in lines to vote. Shouldn t states be required to make voting easier for everyone?

Polling Question No. 3: Protect Against Cheating Polling Question No. 3: Protect Against Cheating Questions will appear on the participants computer or cellphone screens formatted for responding 3. Which proposal do you favor most? 1. Require photo ID for voting, like we do to get on a plane 2. Only allow mail-in ballots for people with a valid excuse, such as travel or illness 3. Remove people from voter rolls if they haven t voted in the past five years 4. NONE OF THESE

APPROACH 3 Change the system Change the system The problem is more fundamental the current system seems engineered to limit voters choices. Politicians can draw Congressional districts to favor their own party. In some states, primaries aren t open to Independent voters. And presidential candidates can win the popular vote but lose the election because of the Electoral College. These changes should be the priority. ACTION ITEMS POSSIBLE DRAWBACKS Allow ranked-choice voting, where voters rank all candidates from most-favored to least-favored. This could be confusing to voters and would require a significant voter education effort. POSSIBLE DRAWBACKS This requires changing the Constitution and gives voters in rural areas less say in the outcome. Candidates may ignore their concerns. Eliminate the Electoral College and rely on the popular vote instead. Let registered Independents participate in primaries for either party. This will give us more moderate candidates. This damages the two-party system and will lead to a lot of candidates who try to please everyone. Other action items? But the US has benefited from a strong two-party system, and countries with many political parties are often unstable and ungovernable. Is it so smart to move away from our current approach?

Polling Question No. 4: Change the System Polling Question No. 4: Change the System Questions will appear on the participants computer or cellphone screens formatted for responding 4. Which proposal do you favor most? 1. Allow ranked-choice voting 2. Eliminate the Electoral College and rely on the popular vote instead 3. Allow registered Independents to vote in primaries for either party 4. NONE OF THESE

Heres what we talked about Remove names of those who haven t voted for five years In-person early voting A national holiday Allow ranked-choice voting Send mail-in ballots to all voters Eliminate the Electoral College Require photo ID Allow registered Independents to vote in primaries Mail-in ballots only with a valid excuse Which 1 or 2 action items do you most FAVOR? Which 1 or 2 action items do you most OPPOSE?

Polling Question No. 5: Most Favored Proposals Polling Question No. 5: Most Favored Proposals Questions will appear on the participants computer or cellphone screens formatted for responding 5. Which one or two proposals do you most FAVOR? (multiple answers allowed) In-person early voting A national holiday Send mail-in ballots to all registered voters Require photo ID Only allow mail-in ballots for a valid excuse Remove if haven t voted in past five years Allow ranked-choice voting Eliminate the Electoral College Allow registered Independents to vote in primaries

Polling Question No. 6: Most Opposed Proposals Polling Question No. 6: Most Opposed Proposals Questions will appear on the participants computer or cellphone screens formatted for responding 6. Which one or two proposals do you most OPPOSE? (multiple answers allowed) In-person early voting A national holiday Send mail-in ballots to all registered voters Require photo ID Only allow mail-in ballots for a valid excuse Remove if haven t voted in past five years Allow ranked-choice voting Eliminate the Electoral College Allow registered Independents to vote in primaries

Results of Most-Favored and Most-Opposed Action Items PROPOSALS POLL QUESTION 5 - Which of the proposals do you most FAVOR? POLL QUESTION 6 - Which of the proposals do you most OPPOSE? In-person early voting 2 0 A national holiday 0 1 Send mail-in ballots registered voters 4 1 Require photo ID 1 0 Only allow mail-in ballots for a valid excuse 0 4 Remove if haven t voted in past 5 years 0 4 Allow ranked-choice voting 0 0 Eliminate the Electoral College 2 0 Allow registered Independents to vote in primaries 0 0

Areas of Common Ground Where did we have common ground? Where were there areas of tension?

Survey QR code and link (link also in chat). Let us know if you'd like us to email you the survey. https://uweauclaire.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bDXnb61Fi0lL5v8 Gift cards will be put in the mail in the next two days.

Thank you for participating!